What Is Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy aims to empower children to develop vital communication skills, helping them interact with their world more confidently. As they learn to express their needs and understand others, they gain self-assurance, make friendships more easily, manage emotions, and take part fully in both school and daily routines.
At Chatterbox, our paediatric speech pathologists work with children at every stage of development. We support toddlers learning to talk, preschoolers building their language skills, and school-aged children managing speech, language, literacy, and social communication challenges.
Children can receive guidance from our skilled speech therapists in:
- Understanding and Using Language
- Speech Clarity and Pronunciation
- Stuttering and Fluency
- Reading and Spelling (Literacy)
- Lisps
- Childhood Apraxia of Speech
You can learn more about the conditions we address here.
We’re here to help children who are late to talk, who others have difficulty understanding, or who face challenges joining in with peers at school.
Why Might My Child Need Speech Therapy?
Every child develops at their own pace, but sometimes speech and language skills don’t come as easily.
For some children, simply being exposed to language isn’t enough, they may benefit from structured support that builds skills gradually and aligns with their unique way of learning. Speech therapy may provide that crucial guidance.
Many parents hope their child will eventually outgrow speech or language difficulties, but often these challenges persist without help. It’s not a lack of effort; children simply need support to develop the skills they’re struggling with.
As children mature, expectations in learning, social life, and daily activities expand. Without timely support, difficulties can widen the gap. Early intervention matters because it aims to strengthen foundations and reduce the chance of challenges turning into long-term barriers.
How Speech Therapy Works at Chatterbox
It’s normal for starting speech therapy to feel daunting when you don’t know what to expect. That’s why we keep things straightforward and supportive from day one.
1. Initial Assessment
To begin, we use a fun, play-based assessment that aims to help your child feel comfortable. It gives us a clear picture of their communication development, showing strengths and challenges so we can tailor the right support.
2. Setting Individual Goals
Following the assessment, we partner with you to establish goals that truly matter for your child’s daily experiences, such as making playtime more inclusive, succeeding with school instructions, or being understood by family.
3. Fun, Personalised Therapy That’s Evidence-Based
Because each child develops differently, we believe therapy should be tailored to their needs. At Chatterbox, our therapists:
- Tailor sessions to your child’s unique learning style and developmental stage
- Apply therapy techniques that are grounded in the latest research and evidence
- Build on your child’s strengths while supporting the areas that are tricky
- Help your child grow in confidence, build meaningful connections, and gain independence
Therapy might look like games, movement, conversation, or hands-on activities, whatever helps your child engage and learn in a way that feels safe and enjoyable. Our sessions are play-based and engaging, designed to build real-world communication skills while honouring your child’s unique learning style. Everything we do is neurodiversity-affirming, so your child can feel supported to develop confidence, connection, and independence just as they are.
4. Family Support and Coaching
You’re a vital part of your child’s progress. That’s why we coach and support you with practical strategies you can use at home, in the car, or during everyday routines.
Our work isn’t only with children, we partner with families, knowing that when parents feel supported, children benefit as well.
5. Ongoing Monitoring
Each session includes careful monitoring of your child’s progress, helping us tailor therapy in real time. This ensures the support stays relevant for both your child and your family.
Why Families Choose Chatterbox
Our approach is neurodiversity-affirming and focused on building from each child’s strengths
- We practise in a neurodiversity-affirming way, focusing on strengths and respecting every child’s individual style of learning and connection
- Our approach involves working alongside you to develop family-centred goals and therapy plans that can adapt as needed
- Therapy is designed to be enjoyable, interactive, and personalised for your child
- Children can access help for many areas of development with us, without needing to go elsewhere
- We offer both face-to-face and online speech therapy options
- We are a group of dedicated, experienced therapists who care deeply for the families we support
These are just some of the things we provide, but the biggest reason goes deeper.
What makes families choose Chatterbox is knowing their child is in the hands of people who combine skilled therapy with genuine care.
What’s the Next Step?
Frequently Asked Questions
How are therapy goals set?
We work with you to set meaningful goals by first identifying what’s most important for your child and family. Then we break those goals into smaller, practical steps, helping your child grow in confidence and celebrate success along the journey.
In creating goals, we take into account your child’s age, stage of development, and daily experiences to ensure the plan is practical, relevant, and suited to their learning style.
How many sessions will my child attend each week?
Your clinician will recommend a therapy schedule based on current research and what’s likely to be most beneficial for your child.
Therapies are generally most effective with frequent, consistent sessions. Each opportunity to practise helps children build on their skills and achieve stronger results. While the ideal might be multiple therapy hours every week, this isn’t realistic for every family.
Some therapies, for example the maintenance stage of stuttering intervention, may involve reduced intensity with fortnightly or monthly sessions, but this is rare rather than standard.
At Chatterbox, you can choose between 60-minute and 90-minute sessions. We provide weekly therapy based on research recommendations, with the flexibility to add extra weekly sessions or take part in intensives, which may be especially useful during school holidays.
How long will my child need therapy?
There isn’t a single answer to how long therapy might continue, because it depends on individual factors like your child’s age, personality, learning style, developmental level, and diagnoses.
Once your therapist gets to know your child, they’ll be able to provide a clearer sense of how therapy may unfold. It’s important to keep in mind that progress takes time; there’s no instant solution.
Who will be my child’s speech therapist?
All our therapists are qualified, experienced, and registered with Speech Pathology Australia. They’re passionate about helping children grow and thrive through evidence-based, family-friendly support.
Seeing the same speech pathologist every session allows your child to build a close, trusting connection. That consistency aims to provide a sense of safety and support, making therapy more meaningful.
We know schedules aren’t always perfect, so our connected team is here to help. If your usual clinician can’t make it, or you want to move or add sessions, your child can see another qualified therapist, ensuring therapy stays on track.
Since our team works hand in hand, your child’s goals and progress are always shared, making each session seamless even with a new therapist. Meeting different clinicians now and then may actually benefit your child, potentially helping them adapt, generalise skills, and build confidence across varied communication partners.
How can I get the most out of our therapy sessions?
The best part? You can do a few simple things at home to boost your child’s therapy and keep their progress moving forward:
- Attend sessions consistently
- Help your child by completing practice activities between each therapy session
- If possible, rebook appointments instead of cancelling to keep consistency
- Take advantage of holiday intensives
- Be part of the sessions, because your involvement really counts
Consistency and involvement from you may lead to the best outcomes for your child.
Do you offer online speech therapy for children?
That’s right! We provide speech and occupational therapy both in clinic and online , giving families choice and flexibility. Online therapy suits busy families, children who are most comfortable at home, and families living in remote or rural areas.
What funding options are available?
There are a number of options to help cover therapy costs. You can learn more about funding options here.
Several options are available to help with the cost of therapy. You can find out and learn more about funding options here.
Is there a waiting list?
Good news! We currently have no waiting list, which means your child can likely get started straight away. Early support can make a big difference, and we know that delays can be frustrating. That’s why we’ve made it a priority to keep access to therapy as smooth and timely as possible.
Where are you located?
With our primary clinics based in easily reachable locations across Bella Vista, Kingswood, Oran Park, Parramatta, and Penrith, you’ll find a friendly administration team on-site to help guide you and your family. Enjoy the convenience of free on-site parking at all clinics, making your visit for assessments or therapy as simple and stress-free as possible.
While our speech therapists in Penrith primarily support people from surrounding suburbs including Penrith, Emu Plains, Emu Heights, Glenmore Park, Cranebrook, Jamisontown, Glenbrook, and Blaxland, our clinics are more than welcoming to anyone looking to use our services across Sydney.
